


In Another Life

by tyrantsandcreampuffs



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Thor (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Reality, Alternate Universe, F/M, Some Sad Feelings, Some fluffy feelings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-17
Updated: 2016-01-17
Packaged: 2018-05-14 11:41:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,789
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5742469
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tyrantsandcreampuffs/pseuds/tyrantsandcreampuffs
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>They loved each other.</p>
            </blockquote>





	In Another Life

**Author's Note:**

  * For [abbas_ragamuffin](https://archiveofourown.org/users/abbas_ragamuffin/gifts).



> Here is your fluff + AU request! I took it a bit literaly, lol. Also, re: your pet peeve -- Jane doesn't cheat on Thor here, I swear!
> 
> It's just a short piece, so I'm not going to spoil anything more. I hope you like it! :)

It wasn’t her first time in Vanaheim, but it was her first time walking around the city by herself. Thor had been initially reluctant to let her go, instructing her to _at least_ _take one of the einherjar_ with her if she wanted to go around, but Jane would not have any of it. He was there for diplomatic reasons, to settle a dispute over trade laws that could actually lead to a war of sorts if he didn’t clear the misunderstanding himself. She, on the other hand, was there as his betrothed, a lowly doll to parade around as she was neither a political figure nor from noble blood. As Jane didn’t yet have a hand in ruling Asgard, she had not been left behind to handle court in his stead. It was demeaning enough to only be seen as a _future bride_ and not as a _future queen-consort_ , and having a guard from Asgard following her around would then make it obvious to the locals who she was supposed to be.

So there Jane was, strolling unattended along the cobblestone streets while Thor met with the rulers of the realm they were in. The city was bustling with life in every corner, merchants and traders from other realms setting up their carts and booths in the main road while the local businesses stood firm on the low-rise buildings. While everything about Asgard was golden and shiny and sleek, Vanaheim kept to its warm, rustic and homey aesthetic with bricks and straw, which Jane liked very much as it felt like she was walking in a busy rural town back on Earth.

Because every building never went past four stories tall, Jane could always see the towers of the castle of the rulers of Vanaheim, the one Thor was currently in. She was confident she’d find her way back on her own, so she wandered to a backstreet as she followed the directions from a sign that had piqued her interest.

 _The Universe Unmasked_ , it had said – and Jane thought it sounded like one of the scientific non-fiction novels anyone could pick up from the bookstore. She suspected it contained artifacts and treasures from the old world that would explain more of the history of the modern realms, hence the _unmasking_ , but that was really just a theory. Jane was genuinely curious as to what could be in the shop, as she felt herself drawn to the runes on the sign. She ended up in front of a two-story building that was indistinguishable from the other establishments except for the small sign which proclaimed the name of the store. There was nothing off about it with how it looked, but Jane could sense some magic from the doors. She had become sensitive to it after the whole shebang with the Aether, and there was a gut instinct that was kicking in, telling her to walk away from the shop and just go back to the main road, but there was also this irresistible pull to discover what was behind the door that was making her feel scared in the first place, _curiosity_.

She took a breath and pushed the door open, a bell ringing to signify her entry into the dim-lighted shop. As she had guessed, there were displays of trinkets from other realms behind a tall glass case – some of which she recognized as old things from her home world. There was a telephone and a box television; and god forbid, a fax machine. Jane had to stifle a chuckle as she walked past the not-so obsolete device and to the empty counter. Behind the wooden desk were thick curtains that looked like it was collecting dust, which Jane assumed the person who managed the shop was. She picked up the bell from the table and rang it; within a minute, an old woman stepped out to greet her.

“You are neither Vanir nor Aesir,” she whispers with a discerning look. “Yet you are to be the next queen of Asgard.”

Jane kept still as the lady scrutinized her through aged blue eyes. Wisps of long grey hair covered her face, and the black of her dress made her blend in with the dark curtains. All she needed was a pointed hat, and she would have been the striking image of a witch.

She was about to open her mouth, to say something in response to the possibly racist comment of her being on the throne without the right lineage, when she was cut off by the store-owner.

“Jane Foster, you are here because you seek a sort of refuge,” she started, still staring at the bewildered younger woman. “It is not something you are aware of acting on. Rather, it is an unconscious desire of yours. It was magic that brought you here, magic which you don’t believe in because it cannot be explained by the science you hold dear to your heart. Before you walked through the door, your heart had already told you what you would find here. What did it say?”

“The universe,” she answered. Jane was feeling more and more terrified with every second that passed wherein she was still in the room with the older woman. Vanaheim was the realm that openly embraced the practice of magic – and one such skill was of prophecy. The woman had known she would be here before she had even decided to follow the sign. It was something that made Jane uncomfortable. She wanted to run away, to turn back around and head to the castle where Thor was waiting for her.

The woman’s gaze did not falter. “Which one?”

“ _Which…?_ ” Jane felt the air leave her lungs and her hands shot to her chest. She was desperate to breathe, and the corners of her vision were fading to darkness. Her throat felt like it was on fire, and her blood was running cold without oxygen. All the while, the woman stared on as she believed she was dying.

Everything had gone to black, when she heard the voice ask again –

“Which one, Jane Foster? Which one do you seek?”

She opened her eyes and saw that she was no longer in the dim shop, though it was still dark. She was sat in a meadow of sorts, surrounded by wild grass and flowers. Overhead was a sky lit up by three different moons and an infinite number of stars that glimmered and sparkled in different colors. Her eyes were fixated at the resplendent sight – she could not find such a view on Earth or Asgard.

“I knew you’d love it,” a voice said with a low chuckle. Jane turned to where she heard the sound and found a man beside her, smiling to his eyes as he looked at her, the warmth from his gaze settling in Jane’s gut. She had never seen him as happy as he was now, but that was because they had only ever been together in such a trying period. “You are predictable as ever, Jane Foster.”

 _You’re dead_ , the thought was racing back and forth in her mind. _You died in Svartalfheim. I watched you die. I watched as your brother grieved. You died. I watched you die. You’re supposed to be dead—_

“Am I now?” Jane felt her mouth move, though she willed no such action. The voice that passed her lips was hers, but not _hers_. And she could not stop herself from speaking words that did not belong to her. “Then do tell, _Loki_ , what am I going to do next?”

The prompt made him give a boyish grin. In this light, she saw how handsome he was; saw that despite the sharp angles of his face, he was actually soft and gentle. When she had last seen him, he looked like he had been very conflicted and it had reflected in his eyes. Now, there was only joy within the blue-green depths as he kept his gaze on her.

“You are going to say _yes_ ,” he said, the corner of his lips dropping to a more serious countenance; his eyes twinkling with expectation. “To my offer of a lifetime spent by my side. To allow me to make you a bride of a prince of Asgard. To provide for you always and give you my all. Nothing would make me – and my mother, probably – happier, Jane, than you saying _yes_.”

She felt her lips purse to a pout. “You didn’t have to bring your mother into this. Now it makes me feel bad that I have to break Frigga’s heart…”

“But you don’t feel any remorse at the thought of breaking mine?” Loki brought his hand to his chest and faked a hurt expression. He stood and dusted his pants, his palms stretching as he flattened them over his thighs and smoothed the material over his legs. Jane watched him carefully, her heart – _but not hers_ – beating madly in place, ready to push through the bones of her ribs and burst. She had never felt this way with Thor; not even when he was being his most charming and romantic self. Thor always made her fuzzy, like there were butterflies flying in her stomach. Loki ­­– _this_ Loki made her – but not _her_ – feel like she was drowning in his presence. As though she could not have enough. This Jane was selfish and greedy in her want for this Loki. The emotion she felt that was hers and not hers at the same time was overwhelming. “And here I thought bringing you to Alfheim would work in my favor. I suppose I should bring you back to Midgard now—”

“No!” This time, Jane was sure that it had been her thought which was voiced out. She was quick to rise, then faced the heavens once more and relished in the spectacle that was the sky and stars. She didn’t want to leave – _ever_. She wanted to stay, to bring a telescope and chart the constellations herself; to name each one after how she felt for this world’s Loki – but perhaps it was an impossible pursuit because the emotions that swirled within her were too tangled in each other; indistinguishable, indescribable. All except one word came to mind. _Love_. This Jane _loved_ this Loki, and when she looked back at the god at her side, the words that left her mouth were once again no longer hers. “I mean _yes_ , Loki. Yes, I will marry you. Nothing would make _me_ happier than being with you forever.”

And Jane didn’t have to look deep into her heart to know that she was speaking the truth.

Loki took a step forward to lessen the gap between them. In one motion, he had swept her into his arms and – as he towered over her – had her pressed against his chest as he placed his chin atop her head. He was so, _so_ close that Jane could hear the beating of his heart, could smell him, the familiar scent of pine and leather over his clothes, except it wasn’t familiar at all. Not really. She couldn’t see him, but she felt he was smiling, and she could picture the corner of his eyes crinkling, his eyes twinkling in delight as he expressed his mirth.

“I pity the versions of us that never fall in love,” he breathed out, holding her closer. “You’ve always said there were alternate universes, parallel dimensions; worlds in which our realities aren’t the same – and that thought _terrifies_ me, Jane. I could never imagine one without you. I don’t want to.”

For a moment, she’s lost in the feeling of it all.

“I pity those versions of us, too,” she said, suddenly feeling sad for herself because the emotions she were experiencing now was something she wished she could have with Thor. How could she have agreed to marrying him when what she felt – what _they_ felt for one another couldn’t even compare to this love that didn’t really exist? How could she go back now? She loved Thor, she was sure that she did, but not with this much depth, not like _this_.

Loki pulled back slightly and then bent to meet her lips. Her eyes had been wide open because the gesture had caught her off-guard. It had surprised her and at the same time, it didn’t. What else was she supposed to expect to come from a night like this? He had just proposed to her. It was a completely justifiable precursor for him kissing her, wasn’t it? She closed her eyes and just _gave in_ because it was what she felt was the right thing to do. Once she started returning his ministrations, the kiss deepened and Jane was expecting it to become almost rough and sloppy, as it usually does with Thor, but instead it stayed gentle and tender. It was _the_ kiss that every girl dreamed of growing up and it was making her giddy with excitement, as though it was her first.

When she opened her eyes, she was back in the shop, but now the old woman was gone. It took her a minute to adjust again to her new surroundings, to the lack of grass around her, to the fact that she was now sitting on a chair and not standing on earth, to the feeling that there was something ripped out of her – her gut, her lungs, her heart? There was something supposedly fundamental that was missing, but she couldn’t place what it was that had been taken from her.

She was about to call back the old woman, to ask her what she had just seen, but she already knew her questions would have been answered in vague words. She stood up and cleared her head of what she had just seen. Thor was waiting for her back in the castle, she was sure. How long had she been out anyway?

The door of the shop re-opened with the sound of the bell, and when Jane stepped outside, one einherjar was standing to attention. It appeared that he had followed her and waited for her to come back out, and Jane wanted to feel angry that her request had been ignored, but she only felt resigned. She nodded at him to acknowledge his presence and let him lead the way back to the castle.

Thor greeted her with a kiss to her temple and an apology that he had sent someone to accompany her against her express wishes. He had reasoned that it was ultimately for her safety, as she was a possible target to get to him. She couldn’t really argue and just nodded, saying that she was tired from walking and wanted to go back to her quarters in Asgard to rest.

She didn’t tell him about the shop she went into and what she had witnessed. She promised herself she never would. It didn’t matter anyway; what she had seen was a private moment between two people who lived completely different lives in another universe. It wasn’t her place to wish it for herself because she had her own life – and it was _good_.

So life went on with her preparations for being the future bride of a prince of Asgard. She had to practice royal etiquette, learn the history of the nine realms, and so much more. It was all tiring, but Jane knew it was worth it. She was with Thor. It was what she wanted and she would not give up her new life for anything less.

One night, though, just a few hours before the dawn of her wedding day, she snuck out to the observatory, where Heimdall greeted her with a solemn nod. He asked her if she wanted to see something or if she wanted to go somewhere, and she had described a field on Alfheim that had the view of three full moons and variegated stars spread across the expanse of the night sky. He obliged her request, as he was bound to, and sent her to the place that she had dreamed of for many nights, that haunted her with the promise of _something more_ that didn’t exist in her world, in her reality.

She lay down on the grass and took a deep breath, taking in the feel of the air and how familiar it was, though she had never really been there, not in this actuality. She imagined the Loki from another life there, sitting beside her, telling her how much he pitied the versions of them that never fell in love, and –

“I pity those versions of us, too,” she said out loud, keeping her eyes closed and her heartbeat steady.


End file.
